If you've been closely following additions to the
DSM that came with the new text revision, you may have an easy time
with this free practice question:
A client who's wife died a little over a year ago
reports "constantly thinking" about her. He says he's still "in
denial" about her death and struggles with a sense that "life has
lost its meaning." Which is the DSM-5-TR diagnosis for the client's
condition?
A) Adjustment disorder, depressed type
B) Major depressive disorder
C) Prolonged grief disorder
D) Bereavement
What do you think?
One quick way to answer, if you know your earlier versions of
the DSM, is to pick the only answer on the list which is a DSM-5-TR
addition (that is, wasn't in earlier versions of the DSM). That
rules out adjustment disorder and MDD, right? Then you just have to
take a best guess at what the man's symptoms might be labelled as
in the DSM-5 Text Revision. Is it bereavement or prolonged grief
disorder? And, you might ask, is a little over a year long enough
to be considered "prolonged" grief? Well, the answer is prolonged
grief disorder-C-and yes, 12+ months is enough time for PGD to be
diagnosed.
Read up about the newly minted diagnosis-once a at
psychiatry.org. Key information from there:
Symptoms of prolonged grief disorder include:
- Identity disruption (e.g., feeling as though part of
oneself has died).
- Marked sense of disbelief about the death.
- Avoidance of reminders that the person is dead.
- Intense emotional pain (e.g., anger, bitterness, sorrow)
related to the death.
- Difficulty moving on with life (e.g., problems engaging
with friends, pursuing interests, planning for the
future).
- Emotional numbness.
- Feeling that life is meaningless.
- Intense loneliness (i.e., feeling alone or detached from
others).
In the case of prolonged grief disorder, the duration of the
person's bereavement exceeds expected social, cultural or religious
norms and the symptoms are not better explained by another mental
disorder.
Now you're that much more ready go take and pass the ASWB exam.
Practice is the best way to get ready. We've got five complete,
up-to-date practice tests, 170-questions each, with thorough
rationales for each answer of each question. Sign up to get a
free study guide and get started.
Happy studying!
